


Reliance

by boys_in (kaleidosphere)



Series: Lysinette Week 2020 [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Injury, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23248798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidosphere/pseuds/boys_in
Summary: "Lysithea!" someone—Annette—shouts. "Look out!"
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Lysithea von Ordelia
Series: Lysinette Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667251
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Reliance

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for Day 4 of [Lysinette Week](https://twitter.com/lysinetteweek/status/1217928065944367106) and this time the prompt used is "overexertion!" Thanks for reading and enjoy!

"Lysithea! Annette! Pull back!" Dimitri's voice booms over the battlefield. Lysithea doesn't listen to him—she can't understand how he's with anyone else but himself right now, what with half an army surrounding him. She focuses all her energy into _Miasma,_ hoping the dark energy overwhelms her foes long enough for her to make an escape. Or, if she's lucky, she'll pull out one of those miraculous shots of hers, and down the enemy in one go.

"I don't have time for this!" Lysithea screams as she casts her magic at an oncoming brigand. The spell is lively and flashing, but through the phosphenes of violet light she can make out the expression on the enemy: fear, hesitation, confusion all in one. And Lysithea realizes that they might even be the same age—that she's facing another young girl and ending her life before she can threaten to end hers.

The realization sinks in her stomach, along with a shrill cry. "Lysithea!" someone— _Annette_ —shouts. "Look out!"

Her hands are still brimming with magic, and she tries to summon another Miasma, but her eyes catch a glimpse of white, before a splitting pain strikes her head, rendering her immobile.

She collapses to the ground, livid and heaving as stars flare in her vision—wads of multi-colored shapes clogging up her eyes and stuffing up her ears.

"...thea!" the voice—actually, it's Annie's voice, isn't it?—squeals. Its words are half there, half gone, having gone...somewhere. Somewhere, somewhere, somewhere.

Lysithea giggles. She's really messed up, this time.

Her body moves on instinct, a hand raised to summon a familiar magic circle, and create a powerful blast of magic that _destroys_ whatever is there. It doesn't matter if it's friend or foe—her eyes are going bad and the colors are bleeding everywhere, but there is a flash of white and red reminding her of who she is, and what she should be doing.

Lysithea grunts, losing strength in her entire body. A swarm of hands reach out to her, bading her back towards the shores of life.

She falls into their warmth, and drops into darkness as the waves take her away.

/

/

When Lysithea wakes up, she does so without hesitation. She has been in the infirmary more times than she can count, but each time is the same: painful, slow-coming, hazy. This time, she awakens with ease, as if it is a normal morning in her daily routine, and her body is functioning as usual without any injury. The sun is in her sights, and the infirmary looks as if a fine layer of snow is coating it—iridescent light shining on every surface through the bare curtains.

A shock of orange hair comes into view, and Lysithea sits up with a bit of a start. "Annette," she says. "Please don't tell me you've been here since day one."

"I haven't," she reassures, though her face is cast into a deep frown. "Just this morning. It's already noon."

"Oh." Lysithea stares awkwardly into her lap. "I'm sorry. I was careless in the last battle, and I put everyone in danger. Next time, I'll work even harder so that doesn't happen again. No enemies will get past me! And Dimitri—"

"Stop talking about His Highness," Annette demands. "Stop talking about the battle and the rest of us."

Lysithea has never taken kindly to being bossed around, even if it's one of her closest friends doing the bossing. "What are you saying? The battle was crucial to this outcome, and if I hadn't been careless, then we wouldn't be in this mess! What exactly gives you the right to—"

"Can you worry about _yourself_ for once?"

Lysithea goes quiet.

Annette continues to speak. "We were all so _worried_ about you. The battle was tough, but the only one that got hurt was _you._ And if I wasn't there—if Mercie hadn't been there when she was—then we could've lost you, Lysithea! For good."

Her hand settles over Lysithea like a second layer of skin, and she does her best not to recoil even though the intimacy unsettles her. Instead, she nods once, and hangs her head low enough that her face is obscured by her cascades of snow-white hair. "...You're right, Annette. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just glad you're okay." Annette squeezes her hand, and Lysithea notices her nails are chewed up, ruined. Is Annette doing much worse than she claims to be? How long has she been watching over Lysithea like this? "Are you thirsty? Hungry? I can go get something for you. Everyone's taking turns checking up on you, y'know. Even His Highness and Claude stopped by to make sure you were okay."

She snorts at the very notion of it. Of course her current house leader and former house leader were worried: she's a valuable asset to both of them, a bargaining chip in this game of exchanging students that the three houses silently avowed to. Though, she wouldn't put it past Claude in particular to take advantage of this situation and treat her like a child.

Still, she appreciates their worry, nonetheless. "I-I _could_ go for some sweets right about now," Lysithea admits. "If that's alright with you."

Annette beams, and brings up a basket full of baked goods from the counter. There is a white handkerchief covering the sweets, embroidered with Mercedes' initials to go along with treats baked by the healer herself. Lysithea imagines that she and Annie were both working hard to make sure her recovery is a swift one, and all her frustration from before melts into gratitude.

Annette reveals two chocolate chip muffins, and hands one to Lysithea. The two of them start making quick work of the muffins, Lysithea having devoured the entire muffin-top in less than two minutes. Her face is a display of crumbs and yums, a distant thought that makes Annette laugh, and reach out to swipe at her cheek.

"Next time, don't overexert yourself. You can rely on me too, you know!"

"That is a very distinctive case of the pot calling the kettle black," Lysithea insists, but doesn't push her hand away. "But fine. I'll work hard so there _isn't_ a next time."

"Lysithea—"

"And I'll rely on you, too." She affirms this with a face on fire, the flush in her cheeks not too unlike Annette's hair or the blood spilled between them. But none of that seems to matter as Lysithea looks off to the side, and pretends that the window is more interesting than the girl or her sweets.

What a precious lie to believe in. "Got it?"

Annette looks surprised at first, until she completely understands, matching Lysithea's embarrassed expression with her own earnest blush. "You got it!"

Her hand lingers on Lysithea's face longer than it should. Neither of them seem to mind.


End file.
